WhenToBird

Megaceryle alcyon · Alcedinidae

When Do Belted Kingfishers Arrive in Pennsylvania?

Adult female Belted Kingfisher
Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

Belted Kingfishers are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in late September (14% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJul 15-21mid July
PeakSep 22-30late September
Fall back byDec 8-14the second week of December
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: late September. Here all year; numbers build from mid July and fall back by the second week of December. Peak: on about 14% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%5%10%15%Jan 1-7: 8.5% of 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.2% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.9% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.9% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.7% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.2% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.2% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 6.9% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 6.6% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 6.6% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 7.4% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 9.2% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 11% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 11% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 10% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 8.6% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 6.3% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 5.2% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 4.7% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 4.4% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 4.2% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 4.1% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 4.4% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 5.0% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 6.1% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 7.8% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 9.1% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 10% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 12% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 13% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 13% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 14% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 14% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 13% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 14% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 13% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 12% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 13% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 12% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 12% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 12% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 11% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.6% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.1% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 8.6% of 50651 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Pennsylvania that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Snyder CountyBest early November · 60 checklists that week, 5,676 in all32%
  2. Bucks CountyBest early October · 1720 checklists that week, 95,030 in all31%
  3. Montour CountyBest late August · 115 checklists that week, 6,082 in all31%
  4. Venango CountyBest late September · 49 checklists that week, 2,831 in all29%
  5. Tioga CountyBest mid August · 577 checklists that week, 36,293 in all28%
  6. Schuylkill CountyBest the second week of August · 240 checklists that week, 22,261 in all26%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Auburn AccessSchuylkill County, best late August · 43 checklists that week, 628 in all88%
  2. Hall PondLycoming County, best late August · 31 checklists that week, 1,740 in all83%
  3. Moreland PondMontgomery County, best late July · 29 checklists that week, 805 in all83%
  4. Lake NessmukTioga County, best the second week of August · 176 checklists that week, 872 in all83%
  5. Huntsdale State Fish HatcheryCumberland County, best mid April · 24 checklists that week, 593 in all80%
  6. Crum Creek ReservoirDelaware County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 1,947 in all80%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, the Belted Kingfisher is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (10% of those checklists).

0%5%10%15%12 am: too few checklists (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 10% of 92903 checklists7 am: 10% of 241233 checklists8 am: 10% of 271994 checklists9 am: 9.4% of 236842 checklists10 am: 8.8% of 199508 checklists11 am: 8.0% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 7.9% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 8.0% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 8.1% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 8.0% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 7.8% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 7.9% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 8.1% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 6.2% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January8.5%7.2%5.9%5.9%
February5.7%5.2%4.2%6.9%
March6.6%6.6%7.4%9.2%
April11%11%10%8.6%
May6.3%5.2%4.7%4.4%
June4.2%4.1%4.4%5.0%
July6.1%7.8%9.1%10%
August12%13%13%13%
September14%14%13%14%
October14%13%12%13%
November13%12%12%12%
December11%9.6%8.1%8.6%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of August, 3 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives late September, 9 weeks later than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of July, 1 week earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives late August, 5 weeks later than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do Belted Kingfishers arrive in Pennsylvania?
Belted Kingfishers are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid July, peak in late September (14% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of December. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 4.2% of checklists.
When do Belted Kingfishers leave Pennsylvania?
Belted Kingfishers never fully leave Pennsylvania: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of December, but some are still reported in every week, about 4.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Belted Kingfisher in Pennsylvania?
The Belted Kingfisher is reported most often in late September, on about 14% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are Belted Kingfishers seen most often?
By county, Snyder County, Bucks County, and Montour County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Belted Kingfisher (counties with at least 200 checklists).